After nearly a decade of leaving audiences hooked, Gavin O’Connor is finally back in the director’s chair for The Accountant 2. O’Connor, also known for the sports drama Warrior and the Ben Affleck drama The Way Back, has been pushing for a sequel to his and Affleck’s hit thriller since the first movie released, with he and writer Bill Dubuque developing the script, even as they saw delays due to Warner Bros.’ internal changes. Eventually, they were able to convince the studio to let them take it elsewhere, ultimately landing at Amazon MGM Studios.

The Accountant 2 sees O’Connor reteaming with Affleck, Dubuque, Jon Bernthal, J.K. Simmons, and Cynthia Addai-Robinson for the next chapter in the universe. The story sees Affleck’s Christian Wolff being enlisted by Addai-Robinson’s Marybeth to help investigate the death of someone close to them, being joined by Jon Bernthal’s Brax along the way. As they get closer to the mysterious ᴀssᴀssin they believe to be behind the murder, Christian and Brax also reflect on their past and try to reform their strained relationship.

In honor of the movie’s release, ScreenRant interviewed Gavin O’Connor to discuss The Accountant 2. The director opened up about why one scene between Affleck and Bernthal was the most important to him, as well as how his actors brought their own improvisations to it to amplify its potential. He also confirms the previous reports of an Accountant TV show and clarifies whether it impacted the long-awaited sequel.

Christian & Brax’s Airstream Scene Is One Of Accountant 2’s Most Important Scenes For O’Connor

Affleck & Bernthal Also Improvised Some Of Its Best Moments

While the first movie laid plenty of groundwork for their troubled childhood, many viewers were left somewhat disappointed that the original Accountant didn’t see Affleck and Bernthal share the screen until the movie’s ending. As such, when The Accountant 2 promised to be about them trying to repair their relationship, fans of the original were all the more enthused, particularly when the trailers for the sequel pointed to a buddy comedy-type dynamic between them in the film.

In diving into expanding on Christian and Brax’s relationship, O’Connor recalls having “such a ball making the movie” and loving “all the scenes with them“. However, when asked if there was a specific scene he enjoyed the most getting to put together, he pointed to the scene in which the brothers are sitting atop the Airstream, a scene blending a dysfunctional family comedy with genuine drama between them.

“I just love the idea of the quietness of two guys sitting on top of an Airstream,” O’Connor chuckled. “I did discover that you actually can’t put two chairs on an Airstream. That didn’t work. So, that was complicated how to pull that one off. But I just love the idea of just the quietness of two brothers sitting there, trying to have a conversation and trying to fix their issues with each other. I didn’t use a note of music, there’s no score. That scene is just these two brothers talking.“

Though certainly a serious moment between the characters, O’Connor recalled “encouraging improvisation a lot” between Affleck and Bernthal, even if the final cut ended up “almost exactly as written“. One part of it, though, that was an improv was Bernthal’s Brax taking the sunscreen from Christian as he tries to apply it to his legs and throws it away, resulting in laughter from him and an invitation of, “Let’s go dancing“, before the scene’s end:

By the way, the brilliance of [it], when I sH๏τ that scene, I always had a camera on Ben and a camera on Jon, which I don’t normally do. But for that scene, just because whatever happens, I can have the same reactions from both of them simultaneously, but Ben’s reaction to the throw was one of those things that was just a surprise. It wasn’t expected, and it was just a bullseye.

The Accountant TV Show Is Still A Hope For O’Connor

“That’s A Whole Separate World…”

At one point in the long wait for The Accountant 2‘s release, there were rumblings of the franchise expanding to a TV show, though it was never clear whether this was meant to be the show changed into a sequel or a separate story. When asked about this, O’Connor confirmed he and Dubuque have developed plans for an Accountant TV show, though it won’t be focused on Affleck’s character, but rather built out a wider world of similar characters.

“The series was never going to be with Ben,” O’Connor clarified. “The series that Bill and I have been working on, and want to do eventually, is really about Justine and her and all the kids at Harbor Neuroscience, and how they operate there. The idea for the series is Justine has other accountants out in the world. Christian isn’t the only one. So, I’d probably bring Ben in for a cameo here and there. But that’s a whole separate world of accountants. We want to build out a whole universe of accountants. So nothing from the TV idea, in any way, was working its way into this movie.“

More About The Accountant 2

Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) has a talent for solving complex problems. When an old acquaintance is murdered, leaving behind a cryptic message to “find the accountant,” Wolff is compelled to solve the case. Realizing more extreme measures are necessary, Wolff recruits his estranged and highly lethal brother, Brax (Jon Bernthal), to help. In partnership with U.S. Treasury Deputy Director Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), they uncover a ᴅᴇᴀᴅly conspiracy, becoming targets of a ruthless network of killers who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets buried.

Check out our previous and stay tuned for our future The Accountant 2 interviews with:

• Gavin O’Connor (Pre-Release)
• Gavin O’Connor & Cynthia Addai-Robinson (SXSW)
• Cynthia Addai-Robinson & Daniella Pineda

Source: ScreenRant Plus